Shattered
by Mockingjaybird
Summary: Lorcan Scamander hasn't spoken to his brother in months. So when his brother contacts him one day, he finds himself in the middle of St. Mungos. But he's not the one injured...it's his brother's fiancee. Written for the Light and Darkness Competition.


**Tragedy, Next Generation, Lorcan Scamander, Lysander Scamander/Rose Weasley, silver lake blue, cold grey, identity,**** "****Adele-Someone like you: I heard that your dreams came true"****, ****shame, disgust, "Just leave me alone will you?" "A day without sunshine is like, you know, night," and invisible animal farm.**

**I don't own Harry Potter, Adele, or any of the quotes. **

…

He's surprised when a blue orb manages to appear in front of him, in his Ministry office, disturbing his concentration on his latest case of a stolen identity. The lights in his office flicker to darkness, making the orb that much more mysterious.

He's even more taken aback when a familiar voice comes out of the sphere, echoing with a pleading voice.

"Lorcan…you've…you've got to help me. It's Rose…something happened at work…we're at St. Mungo's-fourth floor. Please, _please_, help me."

The non-corporeal Patronus fades from its silver-lake blue form and Lorcan stares at the spot where it disappears, in shock. That was his twin. That was Lysander. That was the one person he hadn't spoken to in months all because of a stupid argument. And now, his twin's fiancée was in trouble, hurt it seemed.

Lorcan doesn't know what to do for a second, just sits in his chair staring. But then he feels himself grab his wand and coat and Disapparates to the Wizarding hospital.

When he gets there to the first floor, he walks straight ahead to the receptionist desk, coming out of his daze.

"Excuse me, my…" he doesn't know how to word it, because she's not exactly family, "my…sister-in-law is here, fourth floor I'm told, but I don't know what room. Could you help me?" he asks the wavy haired woman with glasses falling off her long nose.

"What's her name?"

"Rose Weasley." The receptionist looks at the constantly-changing patient log for the fourth floor.

"Ah Weasley: fourth floor, room twelve."

Lorcan takes off, thanking the receptionist, and heads to the fourth floor. Once there, he looks up and down the halls, before finding room number twelve. A young man, with dirty blond hair, sits in a chair outside, hunched over, pressing a hand to his head.

Lorcan approaches with caution, before recognizing the face. "Lysander?"

"L-Lorcan! Oh thank Merlin! Something…something went wrong on one of her missions. Got hit with a really bad spell…they say…t-they say it's l-life-threatening."

Lorcan doesn't know what to say as a thought to mention their argument leaves him with shame burning on his face and disgust in his mind. _Don't talk about that here, it's not right. _He murmurs out a 'sorry'.

"I'm terrified, Lorcan. I…I don't even know why I told you about this…hell, how am I going to tell her parents?"

Lorcan doesn't even know why he came; maybe it's just for Rose.

"You'll be able to. It's best to wait for the final results before you panic them."

"Right…okay." Lysander sighs deeply. "They won't let me in…I don't know how long-"

The door opens as if on cue, and a man with shadowy stubble and square glasses steps out, wiping his brow. "Mr. Scamander?" he asks Lysander as Lorcan watches.

Lysander perks his head up and stands to his feet quickly. "Yes? How is she?"

"She's awake and talking a bit. She wants to see you," the wizard says. Lysander nearly barrels him over and enters the room, leaving his brother and the medic alone. Lorcan wanders over to the medic, peering into the room to see his brother kneeling down by Rose's bedside.

"How bad is it?" Lorcan asks him in a hushed tone, looking at the medic in full concern and seriousness.

"Whatever she got hit with did some major damage to her internal organs. If you want my honest opinion, I'm surprised she's even lasted this long-many don't."

"So…so how long do you give her?"

"A week; less if our potions are rejected by her body."

_She has less than a week. Less than a week before Lysander's heart is dead. _Dread stirs in his body.

"Thank you." The medic leaves and Lorcan stands hovering at the frame of the door. _Should I tell him?_ _It'll just hurt him more, right?_

The argument comes back, nagging at his brain. _He's right, you know he was right. You just didn't want to believe it-_

"H-hi Lorcan."

The high, weak voice brings him out his thoughts and he finds himself staring at the bed-ridden red-head with a smile. She looks absolutely dreadful and Lorcan feels positively awful.

"Hi, Rosie. How do you feel?"

"Like…like crap honestly. I…I could be better."

"You're going get better though, right, Rose? You're going get better and then you'll get out of here and then you'll marry my brother, and we'll finally have another member in the family," Lorcan tells her, trying to reassure not only her, but himself also. _She'll overcome this, right?_

"That's the plan," Lysander responds as Rose nods a bit.

"Great. I just wanted to see you, I'll be outside. See you around, Rosie." Lorcan leaves the room, leaving the two alone.

"Lysander," Rose addresses, with a hint of seriousness, "I…I have to tell you…something…that I heard."

"Yes?"

"T-they said…I only have…I only have a w-week." Rose is on the cusp of bursting into tears.

"A week? To…to live?"

Rose nods her head. Lysander is speechless, tears brushing the corner of his eyes. "You'll prove them wrong, I know you can!"

"Yes." Rose suddenly coughs and blanches, the freckles on her face standing out in stark comparison.

"Rose?" Lysander asks, panicking inside. "What's wrong?"

"I-I don't feel good…"

"Do you want me to get someone?"

"No. I'll be-" she coughs, "f-fine. Believe me."

"I'll believe you when you get out of here. I'm going to go get someone-"

"If it's time, it's time, Lysander. I've…I've thought about it all my life especially with the way my parents have lived their lives, so…s-so there's no way changing it! You can't have life without d-death, just like you can't have day without…n-night." The color in her lips suddenly leaves just as quickly as the color in her face did. Death is just steps away.

If this was going to happen, if this was really near,-reality seeping in, then Lysander decides he is going to tell her exactly how he feels. "A day without sunshine is like, you know, night," Lysander says quickly and perfectly before loosing it. "And…a-and you're the…the…s-sunshine to my…day…to my _life_. Please, _please_, Rose Weasley, don't leave me. _I love you_."

"I-I…love you…too." She smiles, the color in her lips still fading fast, with a sad look in her eyes. Her hand reaches out slowly to him and she takes his hand in hers, raising it to her shaking lips. She presses her lips to the back of his pale hand and she smiles again. "I…I heard that…that your dreams came true…did they r-really?"

"Yes, love. They-"

Lysander stops and looks at her, realizes it's too late. He searches her face with his eyes and finds no life there. "No, no, no, no, no! This…it…can't…come back! _Come back_!"

His throat is tightening and it's making it harder to breathe. He gulps for air, tears pooling in his eyes and spilling over, squeezing the hand holding his and he screams.

Outside in the hallway, Lorcan hears it. His heart pounds in his chest and he almost panics. To anyone else, it could sound like his brother is being murdered. But Lorcan knows what it is. It's the sound of a heart shattering into a million pieces.

He races into the room, and stops halfway when he realizes completely what has happened. His eyes look between his brother's sobbing face to his was-to-be sister-in-law's, her pale face still with the etch of a smile on it. Lorcan thinks she looks just as pretty in death as in life.

"L-Lysand-"

"Just go away, will you?"

"Let me-"

"_I said go away_!" Anger is taking him over, before it was sorrow, grief, worry. His brother's different emotions are now like an invisible animal farm; multiple feelings penned up in a corral deep in his mind.

"No." Lorcan takes a deep breath and blurts, "You were right. I spent too much concentration on work, and I missed out on our relationship. I'm sorry." Lorcan knows this is the most inappropriate time he could ever say this, but now he can't take it back. "And sorry about your loss. Our loss. The family's loss."

There's a silence between them, with only Lysander's sobs echoing in the air and then there are rushed footsteps. Everything is suddenly chaotic as the Weasley, Potter, and Scamander families stuff themselves into the room, some sprinting to Lysander's side, some embracing each other, halted in shock in the middle of the room. A few more moments and a small team of nurses file in to escort the families out of the room.

As the nurses are preoccupied with the others, Lysander is still in his kneeled position, and Lorcan knows he won't let the nurses take him. He walks over cautiously and says in a quiet, soothing voice, "Hey…it's time to go."

His brother doesn't say anything, as Lorcan lays a hand on his shoulder gently, bending down slightly and gripping his arm, pulling him up from the ground. Lysander lets Lorcan guide him up, clinging onto his brother's shirt, as Lorcan is half supporting Lysander's grief-stricken body.

"I-I…I told you…I was right," Lysander says quietly.

"Shh," Lorcan replies, drawing his brother closer to him, "not here. We'll talk about this later, okay?"

Lysander falls silent again, snuffling a few times, sobbing freshly. "My…s-sunshine's gone…"

Lorcan feels tears well up in his own eyes, as he and his twin step into the hallway filled with sobbing family members. _She's gone for all of us _he thinks. _It's like the sun's covered with clouds and can't break from the darkness. It leaves everyone down and heartbroken. _

And it shatters his own heart to millions of pieces.

…

**AN: I had a miserable time writing this, not because it's overly heart-wrenching but because it was so challenging to write! Please review.**


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